Avalon
and
the
tradition
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Company of Avalon is a contacted branch of the Western Mystery Tradition. Our
name is taken from the contacts behind that branch of the tradition which is
sometimes called Avalonian. Avalon signifies the archetypal inner Britain that provides a
spiritual template not only for these islands, but for all that has in history
and legend touched these shores. The word Avalon itself derives from a
Celtic concept expressed through the Welsh word Afal meaning
"apple" symbolically used to describe the interaction between the
outer world and the inner worlds (called Annwn in the original Brythonic/Welsh
manuscripts).
We seek to serve the folk
soul of these islands and in consequence all that folk soul has touched from
antiquity to the present time. To do this we believe that we must
not only aspire to the heights of heaven but also enter the ancient deep. For we
further believe that in this may be found a true understanding of Soul, of Self,
of the many dimensions with which we share creation, and of the creator, by
whatever name. Accordingly, our work encompasses both the pagan and
Judeo-Christian mysteries. That is, the mysteries of the Great Goddess and the
good earth, as well as the Christian ethos and its roots and mythos embodied in
such symbols as the Qabalistic Tree of Life and the Holy Grail. For
Avalon, rightly understood, represents a drawing together of the many and
diverse sacred threads embodied in all the great mystery traditions of the west.
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he apparent gathering together of many of those threads in the ancient southwest of what is now England has created a tendency for Avalon to be solely associated with Glastonbury. As the historical focus of the happy collision of so many mystery traditions in one location, Glastonbury certainly enshrines a unique spiritual history. Ancient spirituality has hung in the airs of the place from the early Bronze Age through the Romano-Celtic epoch. This carried through in its fostering of British Christianity and the subsequent pagan-Christian hybrid of the Arthurian and Grail myths, the latter of which incorporated motifs of mystical Islam. Indeed the drawing together of so many sacred themes from these ancient seeds at Glastonbury is in itself an essential feature of the concept we call Avalon. Consequently Glastonbury has become the place where the British folk soul, and the folk souls of more recent nations that sprang from it, have so often felt closest to their spiritual roots. Down the centuries a succession of priests and priestesses, saints, mystics and teachers, both pagan and Christian, have nurtured those roots and endowed Glastonbury as “the holiest earthe in England.”
In
the early twentieth century, Glastonbury experienced an influx of people who
have since been called Avalonians, including such celebrated esotericists
as Dion Fortune, William Sharp, Wellesley Tudor Pole, and Frederick Bligh Bond.
Bond was himself influenced by a medieval Company of Avalon, a group of
seemingly discarnate monks from Glastonbury Abbey. Through automatic writing,
they revealed to him the esoteric secrets hidden within its archaeology. It is
from the work of William Sharp, Bligh Bond, and especially Dion Fortune that
this present Company of Avalon has evolved. Both Mike Harris and Steve Blamires,
as initiates of this present lodge, stand in direct descent from the magical
fraternity founded by Dion Fortune at Glastonbury. Yet Avalon is essentially an
inner place, to which no person or physical place may lay especial claim.
Afallen,
the Welsh word from which Avalon perhaps derives, may be found in the Afallenau
poems which were collated, along with other verses, in the thirteenth century Black
Book of Carmarthen. These poems
describe the experiences of Mirddyn (Merlin) in what is now the Scottish
lowlands of Celyddon, and seem to allude to the prophetic gifts of the Avalon
inner state. Parallel Welsh sources
in the Mabinogi and Taliesin literature also mention Arthur and
Gwyn ap Nudd (both later associated with Glastonbury) and journeys into the
underworld of Annwn. But the concept of Arthur and Annwn and of Merlin’s
related inner place of Avalonian apple trees and prophecy almost certainly
reflect a lost mythological tradition common to the pre-Celtic peoples of these
islands – and even their contemporaries in the ancient Mediterranean world –
long before they were written down.
Essential
to Merlin’s and Arthur’s otherworld experiences is the mediation of feminine
powers, who often appear in this literature as Faerie women with now familiar
names like Guinevere, the Lady of the Lake, Morgen, Ceridwen and Arianrhod. Each
of these, and others, display the otherworld characteristics of a Gwraig
Annwn (partner of the deep) from Welsh mythology. Their teaching, healing
and, ultimately, transformative roles embody the very raison d’etre of
Avalon. Perhaps the most redoubtable of these was however Brighid, pagan
goddess and Celtic Christian saint, in which latter role she became an integral
part of the Glastonbury mythology. For a western civilisation whose spirituality
is still overshadowed by the institutions of patriarchal religion, this
conceptualisation of the divine feminine provides, as it has always done, a
necessary counter-balance.
Such
factors serve to show that whilst The Company of Avalon attributes due reverence
to both Glastonbury and earlier “Celtic” expression of this concept in the
ancient west, it is the timeless, yet currently relevant, understanding of
Avalon as an inner state which we seek to mediate, rather than specific times or
places in its illustrious history.
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objectives are mystical, but the means by which we seek to achieve them
are magical. We therefore pursue the disciplines of
contemplation and meditation and seek their expression through the
working of ritual magic. We also aim to train others in these disciplines, which
necessitate an understanding of such varied subjects as Star Lore, Qabalah,
Sacred Geometry, Divination, Astrology and Spiritual Alchemy as well as the
study of our native, Celtic spirituality and magic, and the mythology which
underpins its practice. The Avalon
tradition is, as we have stated, a drawing together of many threads, from
Angelic to Faery, from Arthurian to “Atlantean”, from Celtic to ancient
Egyptian. In this it may resemble
Celtic knot-work, but for all that, it is by no means exclusively “Celtic”.
Since prehistoric times, the British folk soul has both borrowed from and
informed other mythologies and cultures. The great mystery religions of the
ancient Middle East provide but one example of this. We seek to make this
universality clear in both our own practice and in the instruction of our
students.
We
have no political or religious affiliation, for it is not the task of any
mystery school to promote either political or religious dogma.
These things are for the discernment of the individual as a conscientious
member of the society to which he or she belongs, but have no place within the
fellowship of the Mysteries. In terms of spirituality, we embrace the elements
of relevant traditions for what we consider to be their spiritual merit, not
their exoteric dogma. We believe, for example that distinction needs to be drawn
between, on the one hand, the ethos and mythos of “revealed” religion
(Judaism, Christianity, Islam) and the patriarchal dogmas that these faiths seek
to impose. Equally, we would point to the distinctions between native pagan
spirituality and magic, and the dogmas and prejudices of modern neo-paganism.
The Mysteries, rightly understood, enlist what is of value to spiritual
evolution and have no place for the limiting negatives, neo-pagan, Christian or
other, which dogma implies.
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Company of Avalon is structured upon the traditional format of most “contacted”
lodges in the Western Mystery Tradition. It must however be said that such
structures should be regarded in the light of their suitability for service, and
as with all temporal human institutions, are not be viewed as being forever set
in stone. The willingness to adapt to inner initiatives must always be paramount
for any lodge which claims to be “contacted”. Contacted lodges are those who
operate inner-outer alliances and who, through inner co-operation, are deemed
competent to conduct relevant magical work, and to instruct and initiate others
for that work’s continuance.
Lodges
are ruled by a Magus or Magi, who must be initiates of the “Greater Mysteries”.
The Magus of a lodge has overall responsibility for all magical work and
instruction, and he or she is the ultimate arbiter in any matters of policy,
dispute or discipline Greater
Mystery initiates are those who, in the nomenclature of the mysteries, have
reached the standing of Adeptus Minor or above. Such initiates carry forward a
“magical lineage”, generally from the earlier lodges, which trained and
initiated them. Both Mike Harris and Steve Blamires can claim such a lineage
through their own initiator, who received his initiation from the Society of the
Inner Light. That Society was founded by Dion Fortune, after her own initiation
in the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn. The present Magus of this Lodge is
Mike Harris.
We
offer no guarantees of spiritual enlightenment or of initiation (implying such
enlightenment) and we recognise that “our way” is by no means the only way
in which the mysteries may be served or spiritual enlightenment furthered. We
are neither a cult nor a corporation and are bound by shared spiritual
aspiration rather than by contract.
WORK
AND TRAINING
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aim is to invite all those who feel called to the Western Mystery Tradition and
the vision of Avalon to an extraordinary, life-changing journey of
transformation, and to this end, we offer practical and spiritual keys. It is,
inevitably, up to the individual to use those keys in wisdom and in love to open
the doors to knowledge of Soul, Self and the many dimensions with which we share
creation. The Company of Avalon perceives Avalon as a mystical goal that
can be realised and served through the practice of magic, the primary
technique of spiritual training in the Western Mystery Tradition. As we are
aware of people’s different stages of interest and involvement in these
Mysteries, we offer three levels of participation:
The Way of the Seeker
which may be followed through
Articles
and books that we publish (see www.ritemagic.co.uk)
Seminars and Workshops (see the EVENTS page of this website)
We
also offer occasional sacred tour facilities to sacred sites (enquire
harrisavalon@btinternet.com) .
The
Way of the Mysteries
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he training we offer is primarily geared to service in this lodge, but should well equip anyone who aspires to serve in any lodge of the Western Mystery Tradition or indeed as a lone initiate. A one-year supervised correspondence course is offered for anyone who aspires to the attainment of the necessary knowledge and magical experience, giving a good grounding in theory and practice for both self development and magical service. Students will receive individual supervision by post or email The course is offered in computer data CD (PDF format) and covers the key subjects and techniques of Western occultism.. Satisfactory completion of the course is acknowledged by the award of a registered certificate
The
Way of Initiation
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training
in the advanced magical arts for those who wish to join the Company
of Avalon and pursue the path of initiation into its Mysteries. The
training falls into three overlapping areas typical of the Western Mystery
Tradition: Occult
knowledge , Elemental Power, Mystical awareness. Eligibility
will depend upon either the satisfactory completion of the correspondence course
and/or previous experience of practical magic and
spiritual endeavour, gauged at a personal interview in either the
UK or USA. Candidates for
initiation will undertake advanced work and training, plus attend regular
residential meetings in North Wales and elsewhere
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We
are tasked, with others, to build a spiritual bridge between the world of our
times and the world which can be, and which is implicit in the inner concept of
Avalon.
Our mission is to encourage, inform, recruit and train all who may share this aspiration and are willing to work with us, and with those celebrated Avalonians of other days, who continue to inspire and guide us to that end.